


Young Enough To Know Better

by protectginozasquad



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 01:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17992361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protectginozasquad/pseuds/protectginozasquad
Summary: Oikawa Tooru and Tanaka Ryuunosuke know that they're too young to meet their soulmate, but the magnetism between them is hard to ignore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WalaLang](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WalaLang/gifts).



> This was a commission for two pairs I had never thought of before, but I had so much fun writing this! Rare pairs are my fucking JAM MAN! A kind person commissioned this for their friend <3 much love to all. Enjoy!

“Hey, shit-head.” 

“Stop calling me that,” Oikawa pouted as he looked up at Iwaizumi. 

“What’s with that look?” Iwaizumi ignored him and continued. 

“What look?” Oikawa said, frowning. 

“The look you keep giving Karasuno. It always looks like you’re looking for one of them, but trying to hide it. And just so you know,” Iwaizumi smirked, “You’re failing miserably.” 

Oikawa yelped. 

“Iwa-chan, you can’t possibly know what this is like!” 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. 

“Being in the spotlight with all the ladies isn’t enough for you, is it?” 

“You know I don’t ~really~ love any of them!” 

Iwaizumi dropped it and went to warm up while Oikawa sat on the floor, nerves a little rattled. Iwa-chan was just trying to be light-hearted about it, either that, or he was worried about Oikawa, which would be even worse. 

Iwaizumi was right, Oikawa did keep searching through the crowd at Karasuno, eyes looking, searching, for just the right person - 

“You need to focus. Just because we beat them last time doesn’t mean we have it in the bag again.” 

Oikawa glared at Iwaizumi, although he knew he was right. Oikawa did need to focus. It didn’t matter how much he wanted to talk to Tanaka, to run to him, it was stupid, he needed to focus. 

Karasuno’s number five was hot-headed, loud, obnoxious, overbearing. Everything Oikawa should hate. 

But he couldn’t deny the way his pulse had quickened when they walked into the gym and Oikawa caught sight of him. 

Oikawa knew they were too young to be thinking about their soulmates. But ever since they were young they had been told about them. About how the perfect person exists for you out there in that world. One other thing they had been taught, one heartbreaking thought, was that there was no way to guarantee you and your soulmate would ever meet in this world. 

Sure, people did all sorts of crazy things to find their soulmate. Entire musical productions had been made about the situation. 

Soulmates was a subject studied in school within history classes. Their origins, their signs, their uses. 

“No real use at all except to make us miserable,” Oikawa once said in class to Iwaizumi. 

Iwaizumi had only shrugged and said nothing. 

After the lesson, Oikawa had been worked up. 

“And we’re just supposed to feel it? Like in our hearts? That’s so silly and storybook-ish. Who even believes that kind of crap?” 

“Your parents do, shittykawa,” Iwaizumi piped up, clearly annoyed with the conversation. 

“Sorry, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa drew his loudness inward. Iwaizumi’s parents had met early on and believed they were each other’s soulmates. They said they had both felt the special spark you were supposed to feel on meeting your soulmate. What everyone was also taught, though, was that there could be other feelings for people, you could feel something like the spark, but it’s only fleeting, like a candle that burns out quickly, rather than a roaring fire constantly replenished by love. 

Iwaizumi’s parents had been wrong. 

Oikawa’s parents had met at university and known immediately, but had played it safe, courting for a few years before deciding their feelings weren’t betraying them. Oikawa lived in a happy, loving family. 

Oikawa didn’t understand why there wasn’t a better system for finding soulmates. Surely someone could’ve invented something by now. 

But no, all you had to go on were stupid feelings, and feelings were stupid at their age. 

_“One day, there will be a feeling in your chest like liquid light filling it. Like everything becomes bright in that moment. Colors will deepen, sounds will magnify. But you won’t be afraid. You will be at peace.”_

__That’s what they were taught, that’s what the textbooks said, what every teacher tried to tell them._ _

__Over and over again they were taught to beware their feelings during adolescence. Iwaizumi always looked downcast when teachers talked about it._ _

__After years of trying to make it work, Iwaizumi’s parents had split._ _

__There was no telling if either of them would be able to meet their soulmate at this point. Once you have tried long enough to convince yourself that someone is your soulmate and they aren’t, your capacity to experience the revelation of your real soulmate decreases tremendously._ _

__+++_ _

___Several months earlier:_ _ _

__The first time Oikawa played Karasuno, he thought the lightness in his chest had to be from watching his kohai play together with the shrimpy. The way they leapt and jumped and worked together seamlessly filled him with an angry kind of pride._ _

__This is where I get surpassed, he thought. A practice match was all it took for him to see his world crashing down around him. He would have to work harder, practice harder, stop resting._ _

__Something else caught his eye, though. Or his ear rather._ _

__A voice that sounded like it was uncharacteristically low was whispering to Kageyama, “Do you know him from Kitagawa Daiichi?”_ _

__And that’s when it all started._ _

__Oikawa’s eyes snapped in the direction of the voice. They met eyes for a fraction of a second before Oikawa looked away quickly, facing the ground as his heartbeat accelerated rapidly. It started happening: what all the books he had read described to him._ _

__A connection. A blessing. A curse. Experts on soulmates all disagreed on whether their existence had freed or burdened humanity, but no one had ever sought a cure. How funny to think of that, a cure for love._ _

__“Oi, Shittykawa,” a voice came from behind him._ _

__Oikawa jumped. “Ehhhh! Iwa-chan, scaring me like that.”_ _

__“You’ve got a weird face. Come on, let’s play.”_ _

__And Oikawa tried to ignore it. He ignored the colors deepening, sounds getting louder and crisper. It was the excitement of the game. He was simply as focused as he had always been._ _

__And when they lost, Oikawa decided it was just because he’d been unfocused. He hadn’t been warmed up properly._ _

___It had nothing to do with the shaved-head second-year that seemed to keep popping up in Oikawa’s peripheral vision._  
.  
Nothing at all. Any teacher would tell him he’s being stupid. And he was being stupid. Karasuno’s stupid second year had such a stupid face and stupid voice and it all was so stupid. 

__Oikawa took a deep breath as walked into his house and set his practice things down._ _

__He barely registered the words as his parents greeted him and asked how the match had been._ _

__“Not our best, but certainly, very… interesting,” he replied as he headed to his room, laid down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling._ _

__“Interesting indeed,” he said to the ceiling._ _

__He tried to fall asleep to no avail. A particular face kept popping into his mind’s eye. Oikawa knew they would meet again, and who knew how he would feel then? Maybe he was being ridiculous. Maybe he was lonely and hoping to feel something._ _

__Something was very wrong._ _

__(Or very right.)_ _

__+++_ _

__“I have to tell you something, and it’s going to sound really stupid, so you have to promise not to laugh.”_ _

__It was the day after the first practice match, and Tanaka was feeling uneasy and confused._ _

__“I would never laugh at you,” Ennoshita said drily taking his eyes off his book._ _

__Tanaka glared at him. “You laugh at me every day.”_ _

__“Only when you deserve it,” Ennoshita replied, finally looking up from his study book. “What is it?”_ _

__Tanaka scratched the back of his head, nervous to explain to Enno but not sure who else he could tell._ _

__“Um, I, well… I think I might have found my soulmate.”_ _

__Tanaka jumped as Ennoshita slammed his book on the table._ _

__“Oi, Enno-”_ _

__“Don’t be stupid, Tanaka,” Ennoshita said, eyes flashing._ _

__“I’m not being, I mean, I-”_ _

__“You know we’re too young to be feeling those kinds of things.”_ _

__Tanaka frowned, feeling dejected but also worked up._ _

__“Enno, just listen to me-”_ _

__Ennoshita sighed and leaned back in his chair._ _

__“Sorry for getting upset,” he said slowly. “But you know what they say - those who think they find their soulmates when they’re under 18 are almost always-”_ _

__“Wrong, I know,” Tanaka said. “But I feel it. The liquid light. The colors deepening when I’m around him-”_ _

__“Him?” Ennoshita raised an eyebrow, surprised._ _

__“Uh, yeah,” Tanaka scratched his head. “It’s really stupid, I can’t believe it myself.”_ _

__“Who is it?”_ _

__“Promise not to laugh?”_ _

__“I wouldn’t laugh about something like this,” Ennoshita said, eyes softening. “You know you can tell me.”_ _

__“It… it’s… Oikawa Tooru.”_ _

__Ennoshita didn’t laugh, but the expression on his face was almost worse. His jaw literally dropped._ _

__“The… setter?”_ _

__Tanaka dropped his eyes. “Yeah.”_ _

__A heavy silence filled the room._ _

__“I’m not saying it’s impossible,” Ennoshita said quietly after a few minutes. “I’m saying the chances of even finding your soulmate this early on are low themselves. And for it to be Oikawa when women have been-”_ _

__“I know how it sounds!” Tanaka said, raising his voice slightly. “That’s what makes me feel so stupid!”_ _

__Ennoshita sighed. “Tanaka, you know I care. And you know I’d always support you. But this is a little… far-fetched.”_ _

__“Yeah, you’re right.”_ _

__Tanaka deflated a little, trying to convince himself that Ennoshita was right. Ennoshita was always right, after all._ _

__“Let’s just see how the tournaments go, okay?” Ennoshita said, kinder this time. “If you keep feeling it, then we can talk about it. Just make sure it’s not fleeting. What is it they say? ‘Infatuation feels like love and so it’s the greatest enemy of the seeker of the soulmate.’”_ _

__“I know,” said Tanaka, turning, uncharacteristically, back to his homework, trying to put Oikawa out of his head._ _

__Even if it was true, there’s no way someone like Oikawa would give him the time of day. Maybe Ennoshita was right. Soulmates usually had similar levels of intellect and talent. Tanaka was barely average, nothing like Oikawa at all. Ennoshita had to be right. Tanaka was mistaken._ _

__+++_ _

__

__The next few months proved increasingly difficult for Oikawa to ignore what was going on._ _

__Every match they played against Karasuno he managed to tear his eyes away from the second-year, barely. He knew Iwaizumi had noticed. It was causing him to lose focus, to slip and make mistakes, but Iwaizumi never said anything about it._ _

__After the first tournament, when they beat Karasuno, Oikawa should have felt nothing but triumph. Yet there was a tug of bittersweetness in his chest as he watched the devastation on Karasuno’s (one particular member’s) faces. He whooped and hollered and celebrated with the team, ignoring the painful twist deep down in his heart._ _

__A few days later and Oikawa couldn’t get it out of his head. The way each time he had walked into the gym and that second year had been there, everything changed. The world around him slowed to a stop. Oikawa longed to feel it again, even if Tanaka never knew, never noticed._ _

__He needed to see him. To talk to him. Funny, they hadn’t really talked at all, except some banter across the court._ _

__He couldn’t believe he was resorting to this, but he picked up and scrolled through his contacts until he reached a certain captain._ _

___[Oikawa 4:55]: Dai-chan~_  
[Daichi 5:45]: looks like our practice ran longer than yours, sure you’re not slacking? :P  
[Oikawa 5:46]: mean, Dai-chan, of course I’m not slacking. My knee is bothering me so they sent me home :( anyways, aren’t you still licking your wounds, loser? 

__Mostly they just did a little bickering. Oikawa had gotten Daichi’s number from shrimpy once when he cornered the tiny wing spiker at one of their tournaments._ _

___[Daichi 5:46]: why do I even answer you?_  
[Oikawa 5:46]: I’m too charming to ignore  
[Daichi 5:47]: -___-  
[Daichi 5:47]: well, what do you want? 

__Oikawa swallowed. He wasn’t exactly sure what Daichi would think of his request, but he had to try anyway._ _

___[Oikawa 5:50]: I need a phone number…_  
[Daichi]: no way I’m letting you harass Kageyama any more than you already do in person  
[Oikawa 5:51]: oh don’t be ridiculous, I already have Tobio-chan’s number  
[Oikawa 5:52]: it’s your wing spiker, the baldy  
[Daichi 5:52]: what on earth do you need Tanaka’s number for? He doesn’t need another bad influence in his life  
[Daichi 5:53]: :eyes: 

__Oikawa took a deep breath. They’d played Karasuno often enough by now that Oikawa trusted (if that was the right word) Daichi. At least, he had an idea of Daichi’s character._ _

___[Oikawa 5:54]: promise not to laugh or tell anyone_  
[Daichi 5:55]: coming from you, that’s pretty funny  
[Daichi 5:55]: jk. What’s up with you?  
[Oikawa 5:56]: I’m thinking… I need to check into it more… and I know we’re really young and all  
[Daichi 5:56]: you think Tanaka is your soulmate? 

__How could Daichi have known? That sneaky captain always observed much more than he let on._ _

__[Oikawa 5:57]: crazy, I know. But I really think it could be_ _

__Oikawa bit his lip as he waited for Daichi to respond._ _

___[Daichi 6:00]: okay. I’ll send it to you. But I need something from you too_  
[Oikawa 6:00]: anything for you, Dai-chan  
[Daichi 6:01]: I need… Ushijima’s phone number 

__Oikawa felt his own jaw drop._ _

__[Oikawa 6:02]: not you too_ _

__He could practically feel Daichi blushing on the other side of the screen._ _

___[Daichi 6:03]: you’re not the only one in that boat_  
[Daichi 6:03]: so here you go  
[Daichi 6:04]: {attachment.contact.Tanaka}  
[Daichi 6:04]: just be careful with him, okay?  
[Oikawa 6:05]: aww, daddy crow so protective?  
[Daichi 6:05]: so you better hold up your end of the deal  
[Oikawa 6:06]: what makes you think I even have Ushiwaka’s number  
[Daichi 6:06]: Oikawa I swear to god  
[Oikawa 6:06]: jk  
[Oikawa 6:07]: {attachment.contact.ushidumbass} 

__+++_ _

__Daichi groaned as he laid on his bed. Now that he had what he’d wanted for so long, he didn’t know what to do with it. The stoic, seemingly emotionless Ushiwaka? Daichi’s soulmate? How ridiculous._ _

__But Daichi couldn’t shake the feeling._ _

__[Daichi 7:31]: hi this is Daichi from Karasuno  
[Daichi 7:32]: hello captain. This is Ushijima from Shiratorizawa_ _

__Daichi almost giggled like a little girl. The goofy man. Of course he would respond like that._ _

__Of course he would._ _

__+++_ _

___[unknown 7:01]: hi baldy-chan_  
[Tanaka 7:01]: EHHHHH WHO TF IS THIS  
[unknown 7:02]: shhh it’s a secret  
[Tanaka 7:02]: WHAT THE SHIT  
[unknown 7:03]: i’m kidding  
[unknown 7:03]: this is the prettiest and most talented setter you’ve ever known  
[Tanaka 7:04]: Suga-san?  
[unknown 7:04]: ITS OIKAWA TOORU 

__Tanaka thought his heart might, in fact, beat right out of his chest._ _

__Oikawa Tooru… texting him?_ _

__[Tanaka 7:05]: you bastard_ _

__But all Tanaka knew how to do was lash out. He could imagine a million ways to make a pretty girl swoon (not that he had ever done so successfully), but talking to Oikawa Tooru in a reasonable manner? Impossible._ _

___[Oikawa 7:05]: no need to get nasty, Tanaka-chan_  
[Tanaka 7:06]: someone’s acting a little familiar  
[Oikawa 7:06]: we’ve been on the same court, sweated together, surely that makes us… familiar, don’t you think? 

__Tanaka’s heartbeat accelerated. Oikawa Tooru… flirting with him? No way. Not possible. Absolutely ridiculous. Completely unbelievable._ _

__[Oikawa 7:07]: {attachment.image.png}_ _

__It was a selfie. Oikawa grinning into the camera with a peace sign. He was obviously alone in his room, in a plain white t-shirt looking like he had just showered._ _

__[Oikawa 7:08]: your turn ;)_ _

__Tanaka felt his ears turn red._ _

__[Tanaka 7:08]: what’s your damage  
[Oikawa 7:09]: aw, you don’t want to play? _ _

__Tanaka swallowed, turned his camera on, and tried to take a picture of himself scowling._ _

___[Tanaka 7:10]: {attachment.image.png}_  
[Tanaka 7:10]: this is what I think about you  
[Oikawa 7:11]: Tanaka-chan, I’m wounded!  
[Oikawa 7:11]: I really just wanted to tell you, that was a great game  
[Tanaka 7:12]: I knew it. You just want to rub our loss in my face  
[Oikawa 7:12]: I would never! 

__The banter went on for some time, and before Tanaka knew it, it was time for him to go to sleep and he hadn’t touched his homework. He and Oikawa had talked for two full hours, and he couldn’t understand why. Why would someone like Oikawa take an interest in someone like Tanaka? Sure, if they really were soulmates, it was destined to be, but you heard stories of people rejecting their soulmate._ _

__People who were incompatible with their soulmate. It was a terrifying thought, and it struck Tanaka that it could be the case for them. They seemed so ill-matched. Oikawa, talented, charismatic, handsome; Tanaka, mediocre in every respect._ _

__What would Oikawa want with someone like him?_ _

__But he read the messages over and over and tried to forget about his fear. It didn’t matter what Oikawa wanted with him. He would take any kind of contact over nothing at all._ _

__He hated himself for it, but it gave him a tiny bit of hope._ _

__[Oikawa 9:32]: g’night baldy-chan  
[Tanaka 9:32]: goodnight _ _

__Despite saying goodnight, Tanaka tossed and turned in his bed, unable to get the complicated feelings out of his head._ _

__+++_ _

__The next day, Tanaka found Ennoshita in the club room as soon as school was over._ _

__“ENNOSHITA-”_ _

__“Will you stop shouting?” Ennoshita covered his ears as Tanaka ran into the club room._ _

__“NO I WILL NOT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME LAST NIGHT!?!”_ _

__“You obviously are going to tell me,” Ennoshita deadpanned._ _

__“OIKAWA TOORU TEXTED ME AND I THINK HE WAS FLIRTING-”_ _

__“STOP SHOUTING!”_ _

__Tanaka jumped, despite the fact that he also had been yelling._ _

__“Okay okay,” Tanaka said, holding his phone up. “Just listen to me. I don’t know how this is possible. I’m nothing to him. I’m nothing in comparison to him. But it seems like-”_ _

__“Give me that,” Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka’s phone and opened it swiftly (he knew the code by heart)._ _

__Tanaka wrung his hands as he watched Ennoshita’s eyes widen while he read the messages._ _

__“Wow, this is… weird.”_ _

__“I KNOW-”_ _

__“STOP SHOUTING-”_ _

__“Sorry.”_ _

__The door swung open._ _

__“Tanaka-san is yelling about the great king!” Hinata bounded into the room._ _

__Tanaka nearly jumped out of his skin._ _

__“I was doing no such thing! You kohais have no ability to listen!”_ _

__“You distinctly said Oikawa-san’s name, Tanaka-san,” said Kageyama calmly as he followed Hinata into the club room._ _

__“Tanaka was just talking about how he’s going to block Oikawa’s receives next time for sure,” Ennoshita said, throwing a very quick glance at Tanaka. Tanaka was grateful for the help. Ennoshita, ever reliable and kind._ _

__“Anyway, let’s get to practice!” Tanaka barked at the first years. “Say Tanaka-senpai!”_ _

__“Tanaka-senpai!” Hinata and Kageyama both chanted._ _

__Tanaka laughed loudly and headed for the gym. He hoped he could keep this under wraps for as long as possible._ _

__Tanaka was distracted from his thoughts as he walked into the gym just as Daichi took a volleyball to the head while he was staring down at his phone._ _

__“Daichi!” Suga yelped as he ran to pull Daichi off the floor._ _

__“Ah, sorry,” Tanaka watched Daichi’s vacant expression as he stood up._ _

__“You seem a little distracted, captain,” Tanaka said, pulling his practice jersey on._ _

__“I don’t know what you mean,” Daichi said, ears slightly red. Tanaka wasn’t sure what that meant, but then again, Tanaka was pretty stupid about most things. He figured he wouldn’t understand whatever it was._ _

__+++_ _

__“I’m making a fool of myself, Suga,” Daichi moaned into his pillow. He and Suga were studying in his room._ _

__“Daichi, this is perfectly normal. You feel a connection with him, for some reason. There’s no reason to get so worked up. It will pass.”_ _

__Daichi pulled his face up from his pillow._ _

__“It doesn’t feel like it will pass.”_ _

__Suga frowned when he looked at Daichi._ _

__“Daichi, you are being ridiculous. You’re too level-headed for something like this. Ushijima, really?”_ _

__“I know. I know. I know,” Daichi groaned, burying his face in his pillow once more.”_ _


	2. Chapter 2

“Shittykawa, how come you keep staring at your phone like that? You look stupid.” 

Oikawa jumped as Iwaizumi clapped him on the back in the locker room. He shoved his phone into his pocket. Practice had been unusually grueling that afternoon, and Oikawa was not in the mood to be yelled at. 

Despite that, as they walked home, Oikawa figured it was probably time to tell Iwaizumi. It had been a few months of talking to Tanaka for at least a few hours every day. Oikawa knew it was true, not because everything grew brighter around Tanaka, but because everything paled when he thought about not being with Tanaka. Colors faded, sounds became mute. But every time he thought of seeing Tanaka again, every time his phone lit up, it was like the world came alive anew. 

“I really think I’ve done it, Iwa-chan.” 

“You’re wrong,” Iwaizumi said firmly. 

Oikawa jumped. 

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!” 

“You think you’ve found your soulmate in Karasuno’s captain, don’t you?” 

Oikawa tilted his head to one side. Karasuno’s captain? 

“Oi,” Iwaizumi growled. “Don’t look at me like that.” 

“Dai-chan?” Oikawa said before bursting into laughter. “Gross.” 

“He’s not gross,” Iwaizumi said, shrugging. 

“Maybe someone else has a crush on him!” Oikawa waggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Nope,” Iwaizumi said. “It’s you for sure.” 

Oikawa sighed. “No, Iwa-chan. It isn’t like that. Dai-chan has been… helping me…” 

“Helping you with what?” 

It was true. Over the last few months, Daichi and Oikawa had found some solidarity in each other. Daichi was apparently mortified over his own feelings that the Shiritorizawa legend was his soulmate. Daichi spent so much time bemoaning this to Oikawa, which Oikawa had to admit, made him feel special, like Daichi trusted him. He had never expected to befriend the Karasuno captain, but his need to learn more about Tanaka spurred him to talk to Daichi quite a bit. 

Iwaizumi must have seen Daichi’s contact information come up on Oikawa’s phone. Tanaka and Oikawa seemed to talk more at night, while he chatted with Daichi throughout the day. 

“Iwa-chan, you can’t laugh.” 

“I won’t laugh.” 

“Promise?” 

“I promise! Just spit it out already!” 

“It’s not… it’s not the captain. But, uh, there’s something about a stupid second year from Karasuno.” 

“A second year?” Iwaizumi’s eyebrows raised. 

“Tanaka. The wing spiker.” Oikawa shut his eyes tightly. “He… he’s my soulmate. I’m sure of it.” 

“You can’t be sure of something like that,” Iwaizumi was frowning when Oikawa opened his eyes. “Anyways, how do you even know?” 

“I just know, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa bit his lip. “He and I talk and it’s like… it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. And when we’re in the same room, it’s like, electric, just like all the books always say. I know we’re not supposed to know at our age, but I just know it, I’m sure of it.” 

He hadn’t expected Iwaizumi to be supportive, but he couldn’t hide it from him. They knew each other too well. 

Iwaizumi sighed beside him. 

“Just be careful, okay?” 

Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi. He knew what he meant. Don’t do what my parents did. 

“I will be, Iwa-chan.” 

That night, he and Tanaka talked on the phone for the first time. Hearing his voice was like taking a breath of fresh air after being underwater for far too long. 

“I don’t even know why I called you,” Tanaka said from the other end of the line. 

“Mmm, you just had to hear the sound of my voice,” Oikawa said, towing the line between being charming and outright flirting. He could hardly keep himself in check with Tanaka talking to him. It was like he became a different, much more stupid person. 

“The tournament is coming up,” Tanaka said. 

Oikawa’s heart twisted a little. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Tanaka, but they couldn’t lose. 

“I won’t lose to you,” Oikawa said, not harsh but firm. 

“I won’t lose either,” Tanaka said, and Oikawa swore he could hear a smile in his voice. 

Oikawa had a plan for after the tournament, no matter what the outcome was. He distracted himself from his fear of losing with thoughts of how he would approach Tanaka, for real this time. It gave him butterflies just thinking about it, and he fell asleep thinking of all the different ways he might be able to express his feelings. 

+++ 

The second tournament came and went. Oikawa was shocked at the outcome. He couldn’t believe it. He had never, once, believed that anyone besides Aoba Josai would come out on top. The shrimpy and his kohai had pulled through. 

Iwaizumi had scolded him before the match. 

“Hey shit-head.” 

“Stop calling me that.” 

“What’s with that look?” 

And in the end, Karasuno had come out on top. Maybe because Oikawa was distracted by Tanaka, but on the court he had managed to keep that to a minimum. No, they were simply out-played. That’s all there was to it. 

An emptiness filled him as they walked off the court, but there was one thing that kept him from total devastation. 

Every time he and Tanaka had met eyes across the court, throughout the whole game, they smiled at each other, just a tiny bit. 

+++ 

[Oikawa 5:31]: you guys earned it today  
[Tanaka 5:31]: what’s this? The great Oikawa Tooru admitting someone else did something well? 

They were still at the tournament. Tanaka had just gotten out of the shower and was pulling on a clear set of clothes. He was exhausted and elated and yet the text from Oikawa made a little tug of guilt pull at his heart. 

Oikawa must be devastated, Tanaka thought. He was surprised that Oikawa would reach out at all, let alone just an hour or so after the match. 

[Oikawa 5:32]: results are results. You won and that’s that  
[Oikawa 5:32]: by the way, I have something for you

Tanaka was startled as he looked at his phone. 

[Tanaka 5:33]: something for me?   
[Oikawa 5:33]: don’t sound so surprised. You should come meet me behind the gym  
[Oikawa 5:34]: I don’t want to miss my chance 

His chance? What an odd thing to say. 

[Tanaka 5:34]: I think I can sneak away. Daichi-san hasn’t even been able to get Kageyama and Hinata to get in the shower yet. 

Heart pounding, Tanaka snuck out the door of locker room, but not before Ennoshita barely caught his eye. Tanaka gave him a helpless glance and Ennoshita merely shrugged his shoulders, as if shooing Tanaka to wherever he was going. 

“Baldy-chan.” 

“Will you stop with that?” 

“Tana-chan… Tanaka,” Oikawa said, a little breathlessly. It was the first time he had used Tanaka’s name without a silly honorific. Tanaka almost wished Oikawa hadn’t done it, as it completely left him at a loss for words. 

Oikawa scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. 

“Uh, so,” he said, sounding the least confident and most unsure Tanaka had ever seen him. “I, um, wanted to give you something.” 

Tanaka took a step closer, inching forward. 

“You’re not holding anything,” he said, confused. 

“Ah, well, you have to get closer to see it,” Oikawa smiled but looked at the ground, obviously very unsure of himself. 

Tanaka inched forward until he could smell Oikawa’s shampoo. He had obviously just finished his shower, too. Tanaka felt his face turning red just from being in Oikawa’s proximity. 

“Well?” He finally said, unable to stand it any longer. 

“Oh,” Oikawa said, lifting his eyes and starting a little, as if surprised Tanaka had actually listened to him by coming closer. 

“It’s this.” 

Oikawa leaned forward and kissed Tanaka lightly on the lips, chaste but meaningful. Tanaka squeaked a little (embarrassing) before sighing and kissing Oikawa back, before he knew what he was doing he had wrapped his arms around Oikawa’s shoulders and was pulling him in closer, kissing harder, desperate as he had been for this moment. 

Colors exploded behind his eyelids. It was like time had stopped. Warmth and electricity were coursing through his veins and he knew it was right, they were soulmates, they had to be. The feeling was exactly what all the books had described, what he’d learned in every history lesson. 

It was a strange lesson they were all taught: when you know, you’ll know. But you can’t know until you’re an adult. 

Kissing Oikawa, practically feeling the breeze around them run through him in a pleasant way, Tanaka remembered his teacher once telling them that there were, of course, exceptions to the rule. 

This was an exception. 

When they pulled back, Tanaka was breathing a little heavily and flushed as soon as he saw Oikawa’s own face blushing. 

Oikawa stared at him for a moment before yelping, “Well, say something!” 

Tanaka jumped a little. He realized he had been silent for quite some time. 

“You feel it too?” He asked. 

Oikawa nodded. 

“Everyone says I’m too young to know,” Oikawa said. 

“Yeah, they’re saying that to me too,” Tanaka replied, stepping back a little but taking Oikawa’s hands in his own, interlacing their fingers. “They don’t understand, though.” 

“No, they don’t,” Oikawa squeezed Tanaka’s fingers. 

They stood like that, hand in hand, for a long time, doing nothing but being together, taking it in. 

“We should head back,” Oikawa finally said. 

“I’m surprised Daichi-san hasn’t come looking for me,” Tanaka said, letting go of one of Oikawa’s hands but keeping the other and holding it tight as they turned back towards the building. 

As they rounded a corner, Tanaka was shocked to see Daichi standing, wringing his hands and looking like nothing Tanaka had ever seen before, in front of Ushijima Wakatoshi. 

“Dai-” Tanaka started before being yanked backwards by Oikawa and yelping. 

“Don’t interrupt them!” Oikawa whispered. But it was too late. 

Ushijima and Daichi had jumped apart and Daichi appeared to be babbling nonsensically as he looked around for the source of his name and the strange yelp. 

Oikawa pulled Tanaka back around the corner. 

“What on earth?!” Tanaka said in a frustrated whisper. 

“Tanaka… they are… like… us,” Oikawa said, eyes wide and meaningful. 

Tanaka’s jaw dropped. 

“Daichi-san and Ushiwaka are…?” 

Oikawa nodded. “Soulmates.” 

Tanaka stood, stunned, before breaking out in a laugh that he was sure Daichi could hear. 

“I guess we aren’t the strangest ones then.” 

Oikawa squeezed his hand. 

“No, I suppose not.” 

They leaned in and kissed again, and it was perfect. 

+++ 

Their friends and teammates learned in time to accept it. Some of them were skeptical, but Oikawa and Tanaka didn’t care. 

Tanaka appreciated it, but Daichi seemed the only one not worried, who asked after Oikawa kindly. That’s one of the things that made Daichi such a great captain. He’d be supportive no matter what. 

“Anyway, Daichi-san, how’s Ushiwaka?” 

Daichi’s ears turned red. 

“He’s, uh, he’s… good.” 

Tanaka threw his head back and laughed. Daichi glared at him. 

“It’s not like you to have nothing to say, Daichi-san.” 

Daichi rolled his eyes. 

“Go on, practice is over, go talk to your boyfriend.” 

It was Tanaka’s turn for his ears to turn red. The word ‘boyfriend’ seemed so strange and foreign, yet he and Oikawa had been talking for months. And Tanaka was more sure than ever that he was right, that Oikawa was indeed the one for him. It was nice, to see the world in such vibrant colors like this. 

No matter what anyone said, Tanaka had no doubt in his mind that Oikawa was his soulmate. 

[Oikawa 4:38]: I hope I see you soon  
[Tanaka 4:38]: never soon enough, but yes, soon   
[Oikawa 4:39]: <3   
[Tanaka 4:39]: <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun with this! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
